Fraudulent Charges on Your Credit Card from Timeshare Resort

You shouldn't have smoked copious amounts of pot, silly!

I would think you resolve this with your credit card company

They hit you with a smoking charge because it’s impossible to defend against.

I would've thought that too, but Chase excepted a screenshot from the resort saying "evidence of smoking in room" (or some such thing) as proof. Granted, that's a hard thing to prove, but still - I have no way of proving I didn't do it & the resort doesn't really have to prove that I did. I'm going to follow up with Chas & basically tell them if they screw me over like this, I'm closing all my accounts with them. The resort was a fairly nice place, not some seedy Las Vegas dump and I'm a boring older person. Not exactly the type to hold ragers in my hotel room.

How much was the charge?

I'd start going up the chain and raising hell. Who owns the timeshare business? Who owns the cleaning company? Is there a state or federal body that regulates this business?

Are you a smoker? If not, it makes the claim especially ridiculous.

Next time smoke and make it worth the charge.

Filtered or unfiltered?

R7 asks the question of the day——is the OP a smoker?

Just the facts Jack a yes or no.

It was $500 - not a small amount. I read the Tripadvisor comment about this resort and apparently they've done this kind of thing before to other people, so it's not unique to me. The common theme for people who get screwed over is that they're not the owners - they've reserved the room through some other source (like Hotels.com or Airbnb, one of those kinds of things). I considered filing a complaint with the Better Business Bureau, but when I searched this resort there are numerous listings, so I'm not really anticipating I'll make any progress on that front.

I would advise filing a complaint with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB).

Are you a smoker?

Post a review everywhere you can online; hopefully, they will see it and refund your money.

Sorry to hear the charge is $500. That's fucking outrageous OP.

R14 is spot on - now that you have gone through requesting a refund with the timeshare business and with your credit card company (did you show them the other bad reviews? Surprising they didn't come down on your side if you have no previous chargeback history) it sounds like the only option you have now is to leave a very bad review listing exactly what happened in great detail and leave the review everywhere you can. I would head it up with a title like "BEWARE - SCAM - STAY HERE AT YOUR OWN FINANCIAL RISK". The title all in caps but the review in normal case. Maybe they will refund your money but it's unlikely. It's an expensive lesson but the bad review you leave will cost them bookings and reputation.

Timeshares always turn into a disaster and are best kept away from. I've never heard a good story about them.

R7, r10, and r13 are right to ask. OP could still be guilty as charged and mining our hivemind for ways to get out of paying.

R11 CHRIST. I was gonna say that If the charge was small, chalk it up to a loss and move on but....DAMN.

Fess up OP. You dragged some local trash back to the resort to plow you silly. He smoked. And wiped his dick on the drapes.

Separately but related, these timeshare arrangements and the administration of them can be sketchy. The businesses can change management and/or ownership, and you have to navigate these changes over the long term.

Also, some of the properties are located in a resort complex, but don’t offer the same services and amenities. When they sell you the timeshare, they crow about luxury, value, convenience, security. But later, when you or your guests show up to use the unit, the hospitality is meager and grudging.

Some of these “condhotel” arrangements (condominiums with a generous short term leasing option) look way better on paper than in person. Many are bought as investments and sort of loosely overseen by an agency in the region. My siblings stay in them as cheap lodging when traveling to see their kids compete in sports events and situations like that. In some resort areas, entire buildings are built or purchased solely for these short term leasing units, air B&B or VRBO.

The entire world will be shades of what r20 describes if the GOP got their way.

What proof did the resort provide to support their claim? Did a smoke alarm go off?

OP here; I SWEAR I did not smoke in the room and no one else was even in the room besides me (sad to say, but that's another story). Thanks for the guidance. I think probably getting a refund is unlikely at this point, so I think the guidance to continually post about this scam and put them on blast may not exactly be helpful, but at least makes me feel better. As far as Chase goes, I'm guessing that if they receive any kind of response from a vendor on a disputed claim, they just say "yep, looks good" and move on. I intend to take a chunk of them too

This is why I use (and pay for) American Express instead of Chase as much as I can. Their customer service is their main business, unlike Chase and their rickety infrastructure and systems.

R24 definitely. AMEX is a pretty good service model and it’s usually easy to reach a person for help when you need it. They have a lot of buyer protection features and some useful insurance options when traveling, including internationally.

If you’re a smoker and smoked right outside of your room, I hate to tell you, but it all goes back in anyway. Could have been someone in a neighboring room smoking and it flew into your room. Did you smell smoke while you were there? Biggest question - Is OP a smoker? Smoker’s clothing even reeks and could have made the room stink.

In Paris a guest in the room adjacent to mine tried smoking and exhaling out the window. That stench wafted into my room and kept me awake. That happens sometimes, too.

R26 is right. They said there was evidence of smoking. Maybe you didn’t smoke, but you left behind a matchbook or a lighter, or as r26 says, your clothes smell like smoke and it lingered. If they smelled smoke or saw something like that, I think it isn’t surprising to assume you smoked (even if you didn’t).

Yeah, IF you are a smoker then that shit is on your clothes, the room will smell enough for them to think you smoked.

I stayed at the Rio in Las Vegas a few years ago and when I left, I got charged with $700 for a new mattress. Management claimed I had set it on fire???? So when I called and asked for the pics because I don't remember setting their mattress on fire, the manager told me in Las Vegas you can only get those pics if you have a subpoena. It's the local (scam) law. I called Amex and they laughed at the idea of them charging me and took the charge off my bill.

They sound like cunts and I hope you go for your bank.

AMEX is rarely offered as a payment option by Australian businesses due to the chargeback ease and extra merchant fees - as a consumer it is a shame.

The Rio? Oof.

The OP has gone out of their way to not name the resort. If we had that name we could look at the reviews ourselves. The first thing I’d look for if it’s 100+ reviews is a number of outraged people complaining they were scammed via a smoking cleanup charge.

If we can’t find evidence of what looks like an ongoing scam I stand with R16 and I’d suggest making it clear to the quests you bring back to your room that there is no smoking or vaping of nykind.

$500 for a crew to come in and do that room refresh? Sounds about right.

OP please answer this:

Are. You. A. Smoker??????

I had an issue with a rental car company once where they tried to charge me for damage that was pre-existing on the car. I had used a Chase card and filed a complaint with them, and they were extremely unhelpful. I would recommend dumping any Chase cards you have. They are a garbage company. I ultimately resolved the issue on my own with the rental car company after several months.

Post bad reviews everywhere. TripAdvisor, Google, etc.

These timeshares can get away with anything. They get to keep taking your money forever since it’s impossible to cancel.

$500 for cleaning a room because of a smoker would be for someone who smokes in the actual room. Having a shirt that smells like smoke won’t make the unit reek like smoke after you’re gone. And even if you’re still there it will go away.

Have you never gone to a club before?

The OP no doubt would want me to pass on that he will be back to answer more of your questions right after his latest smoking break.

[quote]Could have been someone in a neighboring room smoking and it flew into your room.

On what, Rose, the wings of a dove?

I’m with R33. If they are scamming guests systematically with bs smoking charges, it will show up in online complaints.

What’s the name of the resort OP?

[quote]Are. You. A. Smoker??????

I swear on the lives of Taylor Swift & Beyonce that I am not and have been a smoker. A drinker - yes! Smoker - no! I'm too cheap

Next time hire expensive hustlers every night, spending thousands. Let them hot box the you and the room with their inhalants, and destroy your hot box too. Then the 500 bucks will just be a nuisance charge after a glorious holiday.

^freudian slip

R43 I think cigarettes are $7 or more per pack now. That really is a lot of money.

Try $24 per pack.

Yep, about €20 per pack here in Europe.

25 cents a pack when I started.

When I started, a convenience store near my apartment had a barrel full of packs of cigarettes from a brand called "Smokes." They were 99 cents each. I miss the 90s

Hmmm OP, was it the Westgate? If so, you’re right, the hotel is a sneaky bitch. On another note, I really hope TikTok isn’t scoping out that I followed this thread.

OP here, no it wasn't at the Westgate or Las Vegas, but this does seem to be a real trend: charging outrageous fees that once you check out cannot be proved/disproved. The hotel/resort has no interest in talking with you or working with you because they've got your credit and there's nothing you can do. Credit card companies won't dispute the charges because they are from (supposedly) credible vendors with documented charges on hotel bills. So they're covered, while the consumer is fucked.

Someone on this thread kindly advised to report the report to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, which I did do, though I'm not sure if it will ultimately make any difference. But it also seems like putting people on blast on social media makes no difference as the video on R50 illustrates.

You lost me at time share.

Get your doctor to state you are not and never have been a smoker. Send that to Chase

[quote]You lost me at time share.

My parents bought the timeshare and when they die, that thing dies with them. Because of the way they've screwed over people over the years, I wonder what will happen to the timeshare industry once the boomers die off & their families who have other options or just don't want to deal with this shit, let them drop.

Statement—-Dear Chase my pt has always told me they never smoked

Question—-Dr do your pts always tell you the truth?

And we still don’t know the name of the resort so we can check it out as far as reviews and complaints about smoking scams after check out.

Timeshares are a scam upon a scam, glazed with more scam. So don't be surprised when you had a scummy experience with them. I feel bad for the people who fall for that, they usually don't know any better.